Annual Report 1999

The Sir Robert Menzies Memorial Foundation
Report from the Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin

1999 was a year of considerable change in the School with the departure of Professor John Mathews, the founding Director. John's huge contribution to the School was recognised by the award of an AM for services to medical research in 1994 and, more recently, by the award of a Menzies School of Health Research Medallion in 1999. Currently Professor David Kemp is acting as Director until Professor Kerin O'Dea takes up the appointment.

Prof John Mathews, Ms Annie Bonson, Mr Harry Giese
Professor John Mathews,
Ms Annie Bonson and
Mr Harry Giese at the 1999
Menzies School of Health Research
Oration which was delivered by
Professor Mathews.

We were saddened by the recent loss of Harry Giese in February 2000.

Harry initiated the events that led eventually to the formation of the Menzies School of Health Research. He was a strong supporter of the School and served on the Board of Governors for many years.

He was recognised by the awards of AM and MBE for service to the Northern Territory community.

He is remembered with respect by the School.

A highlight of the year was Louise Martin winning the NT Young Achiever of the Year award.

Louise was the first person of Aboriginal descent to be awarded a Science degree by NTU. She gained a first class honours degree through NTU at MSHR, studying variation in H. influenzae and is now studying Medicine at Flinders University.

Two major appointments this year have been that of Tony Barnes as Director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal and Tropical Health, and Grant Lindsay as Business Manager of MSHR. Both have rapidly come to terms with the wide range of issues facing them.

Louise Martin
Louise Martin was awarded the Northern Territory Young Achiever Award

Support for East Timor
The Menzies School of Health Research has been actively involved with the development of the new nation of East Timor. Australians will always remember the violent and destructive events that enveloped East Timor following the referendum on independence in August 1999 and Australia's response to the crisis. Darwin was particularly affected by the arrival of 1800 refugees from Dili in the first week of September. The response of the general community of Darwin was extraordinary. MSHR was involved on many fronts. The expertise, particularly in respiratory and infectious diseases, of many of the staff and students of the School was vital to meeting the health care needs of the refugees. In addition, the medical screening process was augmented by many volunteers from the School providing their time to assist with non-clinical work and an area of the School was converted into a reception centre for refugees being registered and receiving immunisations.

In October 1999, Dr Nick Anstey and Ms Kay Withnall represented the School on a tuberculosis (TB)/malaria emergency assessment mission to East Timor on behalf of the World Health Organization (WHO). From November 1999 to February 2000, Dr Paul Kelly was involved in converting the mission's preliminary findings into a wide-ranging programme of support for the national TB control programme of East Timor, based on internationally recognised protocols. Drs Nick Anstey and Bart Currie have also continued to give technical advice on malaria, dengue fever and other infectious diseases to health care providers in East Timor.

Streptococcal Diseases, Malaria and Scabies
Extensive research is being carried out into malaria, scabies and streptococcal diseases. The malaria work on the clag gene of Plasmodium falciparum continues to prove exciting. We have generated a considerable body of evidence indicating that the gene is involved in cytoadherence. This suggests that it may be a candidate vaccine molecule.

The work on scabies is currently aimed at understanding its immunobiology. We recently found that antigens from our clones are expressed on the internal organs, including the gut. As there is precedence for a gut antigen to act as a vaccine molecule, we believe there is a realistic chance of developing a vaccine against scabies. Group A streptococcus can cause self-limiting infection or, if ineffectively treated, can lead to serious illnesses such as acute rheumatic fever and acute glomerulonephritis. Our recent findings also suggest that Aboriginal children are particularly at risk of severe invasive GAS diseases. Current work is aimed at assessing several different proteins for their potential as a vaccine candidate.

Public Health and Epidemiology
One of the major activities this year has been the follow-up of a group of 686 children who were measured by Dr Sue Sayers at birth 10-12 years ago. Anthropometric, respiratory, biochemical, nutritional and clinical assessments and renal ultrasound are being done to determine whether birth characteristics such as birthweight, symmetry of antenatal growth and preterm delivery are predictors of characteristics that indicate future risk of chronic disease in adult life.

Unit members have also been involved in a variety of other studies including evaluations of the Coordinated Care Trials, investigation of cancer rates in the NT and provision of advice to various nutrition reference groups.

March 2000